Rackspace, Vultr, Linode, Pax8, Cloudways Talk Hot Cloud Topics
Topics include which companies will spend on cloud, challenges facing end customers, and the IT talent shortage.
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Vultr’s Shane Zide: “It’s not necessarily the number of employees. Series A and B startups are good candidates … [organizations] with 75-2,000 employees. [Companies] doing gaming, blockchain, crypto, SaaS. And then partners can do managed services on top of that.”
Pax8’s Amanda Lee: “Overprovisioning and how to keep automating are the top two issues, starting this year.”
Rackspace’s Renee Taylor: “Modernizing apps. There’s a lot left, especially in the midmarket.”
Linode’s Blair Lyon: “Modernizing apps, doing containers, infrastructure — that requires more skills even if it’s on a simpler cloud base.”
Cloudways’ Robert Jacobi: “Cloudways is headquartered out of Pakistan and they get people out of the university there … so there’s not a lot of concern around talent [there] but expanding into Europe and North America is trickier.”
Vultr’s Shane Zide: “There aren’t a lot of good cloud MSPs outside of both coasts.”
Rackspace’s Renee Taylor: “Don’t go to the biggest markets. Go to the tiers where you think the next generation is living.”
Pax8’s Amanda Lee: “We started the Rural Empowerment Program a couple years ago in smaller communities so people can work from wherever they want. … We’re letting them stay where they want to be.”
Linode’s Blair Lyon: “The last two years, companies have realized the gains of being remote. Now it’s about how to scale, and that’s going to be a hard thing, hiring people remotely.”
Rackspace’s Renee Taylor: “Rackspace is looking at the partner channel — it’s an important piece. We’re making sure our executive leaders from different regions are meeting with our partner leaders, making sure we’re aligned and they understand the value.”
Vultr’s Shane Zide: “You have to work for an executive leader who believes in channel. If they don’t evangelize, there is no program.”
Pax8’s Amanda Lee: “We consult with our vendor partners as well to bring more business to channel. And we advocate on behalf of our partners.”
Vultr’s Shane Zide: “We’re selling through agents, not just MSPs. … We signed two [technology solutions brokerages] a few weeks ago. … There’s a burgeoning agent community for infrastructure. … The supply chain is still so messed up [that partners are seeking capacity].”
Pax8’s Amanda Lee: “We work with all business advisers. MSPs are still the majority but we help pair agents with MSPs.”
Linode’s Blair Lyon: “[We work with] all of the above.”
Cloudways’ Robert Jacobi: “Give us notice on what you guys do. Don’t say it’s going into effect next week.”
Linode’s Blair Llyon: “I would think we should be able to have plenty of notice.”
Rackspace’s Renee Taylor: “Maybe a quarter — that’s fair.”
Pax8’s Amanda Lee: “That definitely does affect us, when channel programs change. There’s impact on billing, education and enablement. It’s significant.”
Cloudways’ Robert Jacobi: “Give us notice on what you guys do. Don’t say it’s going into effect next week.”
Linode’s Blair Llyon: “I would think we should be able to have plenty of notice.”
Rackspace’s Renee Taylor: “Maybe a quarter — that’s fair.”
Pax8’s Amanda Lee: “That definitely does affect us, when channel programs change. There’s impact on billing, education and enablement. It’s significant.”
There are so many considerations for channel partners offering cloud computing. They want to understand the benefits (and drawbacks) of teaming with the hyperscalers, and they want to get a better feel for the complementary, but independent, options.
In addition, all of these partners – managed service providers, resellers, consultants, and even more traditional telecom agents – seeking insight into the various cloud marketplaces and the choices those present.
All in all, so much is happening in the cloud computing space that it’s difficult to summarize the activity. Channel Futures sought to explore some of those issues in greater depth at its second-annual Channel Partners Conference & Expo Cloud Roundtable. In our first installment covering this closed-door event, participants mostly discussed trends in cloud computing.
In this second iteration, representatives from five companies discuss which organizations channel partners can expect to spend on cloud computing. They also cover challenges facing end customers, the IT talent shortage, and more.
See the slideshow above to hear more from Amanda Lee, senior vice president of global communications at Pax8, a cloud marketplace distributor; Blair Lyon, vice president of cloud experience at Linode; Renee Taylor, vice president of global alliances and channel chief at Rackspace, a managed cloud computing provider; Robert Jacobi, director of WordPress for Cloudways, a managed service provider; and Shane Zide, global vice president of channel for Vultr, part of The Constant Company.
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